Sidharth Rao to exit Dentsu at the end of the year

Sidharth Rao, CEO, dentsuMB Group India, will be leaving the agency in December 2022. Rao plans to turn entrepreneur again. He had founded Webchutney in 1999, which was acquired by dentsu in 2013.

 

Post this, dentsuMB India will come under the additional charge of Heeru Dingra, CEO, Isobar India group.

 

Dingra will be supported by business leaders Ajit Devraj, Indrajeet Mookerjee and Harsh Shah. The new dentsuMB India leadership team will work with Rao through the transition along with Amit Wadhwa, CEO, dentsu Creative India.

 

Wadhwa said, “Sid is not just a colleague. He is also a dear friend; our go-to mate. He has played an instrumental role in crafting dentsu’s creative journey for India in partnership with some of our key talents who have now grown into powerful leaders; and that is invaluable. However, when he chose to discuss his new entrepreneurial ambitions with me, I realised how truly he wanted to do this."

 

He added, "Sid has my wholehearted support on his next move. Meanwhile, what gives me great assurance is the fantastic set of leaders that he has mentored during this growth journey. They are already taking charge and delivering with confidence. Although I would miss catching up with Sid at office, our banters will continue beyond work. He deserves to choose a fresh path for his next milestone, and I am sure his next venture would be an innovative one. We truly wish him all the luck for this next big leap.”

 

Rao said, “Being acquired by dentsu has, by far, been the most important milestone in Webchutney’s journey. It has been a great, great ride. Together, dentsu India and Webchutney are miles ahead of where we started and there are absolutely no regrets. Post the acquisition, I have been around for a decade now and the credit for my journey here goes to the network’s leadership team. I would like to thank them dearly for making dentsu feel like home."

 

He added, "Amit is a great leader and a fantastic comrade. He is the one to ensure that we get the best of opportunities. As I move on, I am glad that Dentsu Webchutney is at a point where it is at its best; and what I take with myself is a sense of immense pride of being associated with dentsu. For my journey ahead, I am exploring a few new ideas in the exciting space of the internet. The plan for it should be ready over the next couple of months.”